Lyon, France 里昂
July 26, 2024: We spent the whole morning exploring the historic city of Lyon. Our day began with an Uber ride to the old town, where we found a small café for breakfast. Next, we walked to the funicular station, which took us to Fourvière Hill to see the magnificent Basilica of Notre Dame. The platform behind the church offered breathtaking panoramic views of Lyon, but the basilica's interior truly captivated us. The lavish mosaics and stained glass decorations felt like incredible paintings from a distance.
After soaking in the views and the beauty of the basilica, we made our way down to Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), a UNESCO World Heritage site. We wandered through the narrow streets and discovered the famous traboules, the secret passageways connecting different streets, which were used by silk weavers centuries ago. Unfortunately, we didn't have more time to savor Lyon's renowned cuisine, as we had a train to catch to Geneva, Switzerland.
But at least while at the train station, we had a wonderful lunch before leaving Lyon. Our train ride took three and a half hours, and upon arrival at the Geneva station, we met with our daughter, who had flown in from New York City a couple of days earlier. The next ten days were meant to be a family vacation, but our son had to cancel his trip due to a hip injury he sustained while running. The doctor advised against traveling, so it was just the three of us on this adventure.
Geneva is not our final destination for the day yet. We boarded the bus to Chamonix, France, the starting point of our Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) adventure. Since our bus was delayed, we enjoyed a simple meal at a cafe with a great view near the bus terminal while waiting.
Finally, we arrived in Chamonix, France. Our hotel room at Plan B in Chamonix offered a stunning view of the sunset, making for a perfect end to the day.
2024年7月26日：昨晚上到里昂（Lyon)时已经很晚，直接入住酒店休息了。今天一早就出门对这座历史悠久的城市来个短短的到此一游。
我们乘坐Uber到里昂的老城区（old town), 先找了家咖啡馆吃个简单的早餐。清晨街上几乎没人，非常安静。然后走到缆车站坐缆车上福尔维耶山去看圣母大教堂。教堂后面的观景平台提供了里昂的全景视野，但教堂内部的装饰才真正让我们震撼。那些从远处看到的墙上，顶上一幅幅令人惊叹的精美画作，走近时才发现居然全部是用华丽的马赛克拼图而成的。其实整个教堂内部包括地上用的都是马赛克，再加上那些彩色玻璃，显得非常漂亮。
我们没再坐缆车下山，而是从山上一路走下来回到了老里昂区。这里属于联合国教科文组织的世界遗产之一。有着狭窄的街道，还有著名的traboules，这些是用于连接街道之间的秘密通道，以前是丝绸织工使用的。如今有几个通道对外开放。为了寻找这几个小通道，我们在老城区的小巷里走了不少路。每找到一个，进去走一走都会兴奋一下。遗憾是今天只能有半天的时间游里昂，因为我们得赶火车去日内瓦（Geneva)。
在里昂火车站里找了家看着有点高级的餐厅吃午餐，没英文菜单，但一位热情的服务员还能说上几个单词。结果上来的菜每一道都很好吃，就是觉得都不像我们所点的。因为要赶火车，急急忙忙吃完。最后还是忍不住问了服务员，她还真把所有菜都搞错了。本来还遗憾没能在里昂享受美食，结果在火车站解决了。
三个半小时的火车旅程后，我们从法国里昂来到瑞士的日内瓦。在火车站见到了提前从纽约飞来的女儿。这本该是一次家庭度假，但由于儿子在跑步时髋部受伤，医生建议他不要旅行，所以他在最后时刻取消了行程。于是接下来的旅程就变成三人行了。
从日内瓦，我们乘坐巴士前往法国的霞慕尼（Chamonix), 开始我们的勃朗峰（Mont Blanc）之旅。
